Kanye West

By Megan Friedman

"I'm sorry Taylor."

Rapper Kanye West can thank Twitter for resurrecting his career after he disastrously interrupted a Taylor Swift acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. The social-media platform has allowed him to speak his mind and keep his fans entertained; he even released a new song via Twitter every week. As the 2010 VMAs drew close in September, West launched into an essay-length series of tweets  musing about his past year, his negative reputation and his thoughts about the music industry in general. It ended with an apology to Swift for ruining her big moment. The tweets may have been a publicity stunt, but they worked  all eyes were on Swift and West at the awards show. And ultimately, the conflict benefited both artists, giving them more publicity. West has since moved past the Swift debacle, recently criticizing Matt Lauer's tactics during a recent Today show interview. He is a certified Twitter addict, posting dozens (and dozens) of times each day.